Liquid-outlet pipe



Nov. 25, 9 4'- 1,516,802

. D. E. WELLMAN ET Al- LIQUID OUTLET PIPE Filed Feb. 14, 1923 mldilummPage 1 25, 1924.

DAVID E. WELLMAN AND HUBERIJ'. WEIJIJMAN OF MODESTO, CALIFORNIAmourn-corms rrrn.

Application flledlebruary 14, 1823. Serial No. 618,906.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known'that we, DAVID E. WELLMAN andHUBERT J. WEL'LMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Modesto,county of Stanislaus, State of California, have invented certain new.and useful Improvements in Liquid-Outletwe do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the 10 same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in sterilizing machines orapparatus, and especially to a type particularly intended for use indairies, to sterilize the various utensils, containers, e used in thebusiness.

One of the principal objects of our invention is to provide a sterilizerso constructed that the fire or source of heat used during thesterilizing operation will not cause the walls of the container memberor tank of the sterilizer to buckle or crack under 5 the unavoidableexpansion and contraction, thereby insuring long life to the tank.Another object is to form the tank that it will hold a large number ofutensils, while at the same time the water tobe heated and turned intosteam is contained in a relatively small area, thereby insuring quickresults after the fire has been lighted.

A: further object is to provide a novel form of water-drain devicewithout using valves or faucets, by means of which the water may be heldin the tank to a height suflicient to wash the utensils prior tosterilizing; a certain amount of the water may then be run out to adesired level; and finally drained out entirely, the drain member thenserving as an air vent useful in drying the sterilized utensils prior toremoving them from the machine. I

A fourth object of the invention is to construct the device as a wholeso that it is very easy to disassemble the parts for repairing and thelike.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice, andyet one which will be exceedingly efl'ec- Pipes; and

tive for the purposes for which {it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as willfully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

Inthe drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views? same.

Fi 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on tli e line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes the outer container or) shell,preferably rectangular in shape, supported on legs 1 and formedlongitudinally along its bottom with a depression or trough 2 toserve asa firebox, which projects with a door 3 at one end, there .be*. ing aflue 4 at the opposite and upper end of the shell. An oil burner pipeindicated at 5 projects into the trough 2 if an oilburning system isused, or such other heating device may be installed as maybe foundsuitable. so

Around the upper edge of the shell 1 is i a rim 6, serving as a supportfor the flange 7, on the upper edge of the tank or inner container 8,shaped similarly to the. shell but space therefrom all around,especially as at the bottom. 7

The bottom of the tank has a longitudinal trough 9, of an areasuflicient to contaln enough Water for steam-generation for sterilizingpurposes. The bottom of this trough is curved transversely, and all cor-.ners are rounded, so that any contraction and expansion, due to theintense and localized heat when steam is being generated, is taken up inthe curved surfaces, without any buckling of the tank being had andWithout the use of stiffening members or braces of any sort.

By making the tank or container rectangular or oblong, the maximumnumber of Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the steri- 60 between, thepipe 17 of course utensils may be placed in the area available.

A removable grate 10, preferably of wood, rests on the bottom. of thetank above the trough 9, and hence above the level of the water duringthe sterilizing process.

A removable cover 11 for the tank and projecting thereabove, rests onthe flange 7 of said tank. This cover is preferably made in two unequalsections, split transversely on an angle, said sections being hingedtogether along the top of the cover, and the smaller section 12 servingas a lid which may be raised without removing the entire cover, handles13 being provided on said lid 12 for the purpose.

An air vent, 14, normally closed by a plate 15 turnable to uncover oropen said vent, is provided in the cover.

At one end of the tank-trough 9 is a horizontal outlet or drain 16 whileoutsidethe shell is a pipe 17 substantially parallel to the end wall ofthe shell. This pipe is turnable in a vertical plane while beingpermanently connected to the. outlet 16 by reason of a ground-jointunion 18 therehaving, a

right angle bend or elbow 19, adjacent the the ipe.

the water is drained from said trough 9.

union to bring it" into horizontal alinement withthe outlet. r,

When projecting vertically upward, the pipe-'17 is of such a length thatthe tank 8 may befilled without overflowing through inged at its upperend onto the end of the shell 1 is a plate 20 having a pair ofvertically spaced and horizontal arms or lugs 21, positioned to eitherat a time support the pipe 17 and forming a sort of double bracket. Theupper lug is positioned so that when the pipe 17 is resting thereon, thewater in the tank may drain to the level of the top of the trough 9, andbelow the grate 10.

The height of the lower lug 21 is such that when the pipe is" restingthereon, all

In operation, the utensils to be sterilized are placed in the tank torest on the grate, by raising the lid 12. The tank is then filled withwater, the pipe 17 being raised to its uppermost position,'and the fireis started to heat the water to wash the utensils.

When this is done, the pipe 17 is lowered to rest on the upper lug 21,and the water will then drain out of the tank down to the desired level'and no more. The remaining water, of comparatively small volume butlarge surface, is then used in the generation of steam for sterilizingthe utensils, this steaming being allowed to take place for thenecessary period-of time.

This done, the fire is turned out. and the pipe is lowered to rest onthe lower lug 21,

this being done by first raising the plate 20 on its hinge, therebymoving the upper lug 21 out of the path of movement of the pipe 17 andallowing thelatter to descend onto the lower lug 21, thus the water maybe drained 'as described, or held at the different levels, without theuse of valves.

The water then drained,- the vent 15v is opened, allowing the remainingsteam to ,escape, which causes a .draft of airto pass into the tankthrough the pipe 17, which causes the utensils to be very quickly dried,especially if the exterior air is dry.

When it is desired to remove the tank from the shell, the cover 11 isfirst removed, and the union 18 uncoupled. By then slipping the portionof the union which is secured to the tank inwardly of the shell, by

moving said tank lengthwise-the-necessary distance, the tank can then beeasily lifted up and outof the shell.

, From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the,invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detai-l the. present andpreferred construction.

invention what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

' 1. A drain structure for water tanks comprising a drain pipe open atits outer end mounted for rotative movement in a vertical plane andconnected to the tank at the bottom thereof, vertically spaced stopsmounted in the path of movement of the pipe, andmeans for moving theupper stop out of the way of the pipe to enable the latter to be moveddownwardly into engagement with a lower stop.

2. The combination with a tank, of a liquid outlet pipe swivelle d onthe outside of the tank and communicating with the interior thereof, andmeans for maintaining an arbitrary maximum and minimum fluid contentwithin the tank, such means including spaced lugs mounted on andprojecting from the outside of the tank and adapted to support theswivelled pipe, the lugs being so disposed as to allow the liquid toflow fro-m the tank only to the arbitrary maximum and minimum levelsdetermined by the positions of the lugs relative to the top of the tank.

3. The combination with a tank, of a liquid outlet pipe swivelled on theoutside of the tank and communicating with the interiorthereof, andmeans for maintaining an arbitrary maximum and minimum fluid contentwithin the tank, such means including a bracket hinged to the outside ofthe tank and movable at right angles to the the positions of the lugsrelative to the top swivel movement of said pipe, and a pair of thetank.

of vertically spaced lugs on and projecting In testimony whereof weaflix our signa- 10 from the bracket; the latter being movable tures.

to allow the pipeto rest on either lug to allow the fluid to flow fromthe tank only DAVID E. WELLMAN.

to the arbitrary levels as determined by HUBERT J. WELLMAN.

